The Young Landlords

Walter Dean Myers first published his middle grade novel, The Young Landlords, in 1979. Like most of the 100 books Myers penned before his death in 2014, the story centers on Black youth. The Young Landlords is particularly personal to Myers, however, because he writes about the neighborhood in Harlem, New York, where he grew up, describing the sort of activities and individuals he encountered as a youth. The main character, 15-year-old Paul Williams, pays a brief visit to Martinsburg, West Virginia, where he meets many relatives for the first time. Myers himself was born in Martinsburg before relocating to Harlem as a toddler. Those social issues prevalent in New York at the time of publication—racial unrest, inequality, and especially rent and housing issues—take center stage in the narrative. Through a chance encounter with a tenement landlord, Paul and his friends, who have organized under the name The Action Group, take ownership of a Harlem apartment building. Around the same time, their friend Chris deals with accusations that he participated in a robbery at the stereo store where he worked. These concerns, plus the regular discouragement Paul receives from his highly critical father, are issues Paul must overcome as he and his friends encounter the harsh economic and social realities that challenge their youthful ideals.

This guide is based on the 2007 Puffin hardcover edition.

Content Warning: This guide describes and analyzes the source text’s treatment of racism.

Plot Summary

The narrative begins in the summer in a Harlem neighborhood where the local illegal numbers boss, the Captain, holds a barbeque to promote his lottery. The Captain confronts the young people present about their lack of ambition to make a difference in their world. The next day, Gloria, one of the teens, creates the Action Group, whose mission is to make a difference in the world. The group begins by tracking down the owner of a rundown apartment house, the Stratford Arms, that the kids call The Joint. They demand that the man, Joseph Harley, fix up the tenement. Harley takes a dollar and the personal information of the oldest member of the group, the 15-year-old narrator, not yet identified by name.

The Action Group discusses the arrest of a neighborhood friend, Chris, accused of burglarizing the stereo store where he works. Some think he is innocent. Others say the police would not have arrested him if he were not guilty. While preparing to picket Harley’s office, the narrator learns he has a special delivery mail packet. He finds a thick set of legal documents. An attorney at his father’s office explains that Harley has transferred ownership to the narrator, Paul Williams. Paul accepts the deed, naming other members of the Action Group as co-owners.

Meeting in the rental office of The Joint, Paul, Gloria, and Dean decide to introduce themselves to their tenants, starting on the bottom floor. They discover that most of the residents are hostile to their new landlords. On the top floor, a karate-wielding mystic, Kenobi, attacks them, destroying the upstairs banister. On the ground level, the police apprehend the kids, having been called by the first tenant they visited—Tina Robinson—who decided they were hoodlums. They spend three hours at the police station before their release.

Speaking with the other teens, Chris describes the way the police tried to trick him into confessing to the burglary. The Action Group members say they will try to help him anyway they can. Tina Robinson asks them to fix her toilet. Gloria and Jeannie say they can repair it. Paul goes with them. Gloria tells Jeannie that if she wants to remain a member of the Action Group, she must be willing to stick her hands in the toilet and search for the blockage, causing Jeannie to quit abruptly. Paul finds the problem and fixes the toilet. The Action Group learns there is a $1000 reward for anyone who can prove Chris’s innocence.

Courtesy of the New York State Employment Service, the Action Group employs Jonathan Pender to work as their accountant. Though they find his appearance and behavior odd, the members like Pender. Pender says the group has two problems: getting Kenobi to pay for the broken banister and proving Chris’s innocence. He suggests putting out the word that they want to buy stolen hi-fi equipment. Pender meets with the group and breaks down their financial situation, which is dire. If all tenants pay their rent on time, the profit equals the rent of one apartment, about $130 a month. He explains that raising rent is a bad idea as it will simply cause tenants to move out.

Dean, who has a lot of unusual ideas, decides to conjure a mental shield, confront Kenobi, and convince him to move. The two have a wordless confrontation at the front door of Kenobi’s apartment before Dean gives up and goes back downstairs. Group member Bubba has a big idea to become a numbers runner for the Captain. Paul and Dean accompany him to the Captain’s office for Bubba’s qualification exam. As the Captain asks Bubba a difficult math question, two police officers enter and harass the boys before leaving. Bubba departs immediately.

Paul and Gloria argue over a tenant named Ella Fox, a single mother who cannot pay her rent. Paul says they must evict her, and Gloria says that defeats the purpose of their taking over The Joint. They agree that running the tenement is far more difficult than they imagined.

The next morning, a man calling himself a revolutionary appears in front of The Joint with a number of TV cameras. He says he is taking over the building. When the TV producers say there is not enough light in front of The Joint, he moves down the street and says he will take over that building.

Pender suggests that they clear Chris’s name by searching for the real hi-fi equipment thief. Gloria suggests a fundraiser to compensate for lost rent. Meanwhile, Gloria and Paul are developing romantic feelings for each other, though neither knows that the other feels the same.

Paul describes his ongoing conflict with his father, who criticizes him continually. The group holds its first fundraiser, a party in an empty apartment. Well attended, the party goes smoothly until Kenobi turns up scantily dressed and a physical altercation ensues. After the party, Pender announces they have netted $4.30.

One night, Paul and Gloria ride with the local fence, A.B., to a warehouse full of stolen merchandise. Gloria notices that one of the guards has a pistol. They realize they do not know what they are looking for.

Paul’s Uncle Jerry, whom he never met, dies in West Virginia. Paul accompanies his father to the funeral. Paul’s father describes stealing money when they were hungry teenagers, for which his brother was caught. After this, Jerry’s life began going downhill. Paul realizes his father fears he might become lost in the same way.

Tina stands in front of The Joint screaming that it is about to blow up. She has discovered that the handyman, Pete, operates a still in the basement. Paul goes to the basement, where Pete tries to break down the still swiftly. Back on the street level, the police arrive just as a loud sound courses through the building. The police call for an evacuation and summon the bomb squad. By the time they arrive, Pete has put away the still. Paul receives a summons for a safety hazard.

Paul, Dean, and Gloria investigate the warehouse where they believe the stolen stereo equipment is hidden. After someone shoots at them, they stumble down the stairs and run across the street, then back to The Joint. Paul confesses to Gloria that night that he loves her, then feels crushed when she laughs. He avoids contact with her for several days. Paul’s parents learn of the warehouse incident and insist they go to the police, who warn them to stay away from the warehouse and out of police business.

Gloria comes to Paul’s apartment. She apologizes for laughing, explaining that she feels the same toward him. They kiss for the first time. The Action Group works in earnest to pull off the street fair. With the help of tenants and neighbors, the booth is a great success. After the lengthy cleanup effort, as Paul and Dean sit on the curb, a well-known local named Kelly approaches them. He tells them that they should make this a weekly occurrence. He says he knows where they can get cheap hi-fi equipment.

Dean receives a late-night call from elderly tenant Mrs. Brown, saying that Jack Johnson, the heavyweight champion—who died decades before—has just had heart attack in her bed and died. He goes to her apartment to console her.

Paul, Dean, and Bubba decide to use the street fair proceeds to buy the stereo equipment Kelly described. After they purchase the boxed equipment and return to The Joint, they find the serial numbers do not match the stolen equipment. Paul’s father asks if they removed the merchandise from the boxes. When they do, they find that they indeed bought the stolen hi-fi goods. With the help of Tina and Kenobi, the Action Group causes a scene in front of the store where they purchased the stolen equipment. The police arrive and arrest the owner. The group learns that Chris is innocent of the theft but did receive money from his boss, who perpetrated an insurance scam, making Chris partially culpable.